Chapter 231 Clues

"Cough cough cough." Qi Shuo started coughing.

The coughing sound immediately attracted Cheng Maoming's attention: "Is the prince okay?"

The jade-like young man's cheeks were stained with a light red due to coughing. "It's okay, Grand Commander, please continue asking."

Cheng Maoming didn't continue: "I've been asking questions for so long, I'm tired, let's have a cup of tea and rest for a while before we continue."

The Minister of the Honglu Temple was a man of good taste and said hurriedly, "Why don't you go to the Honglu Temple and have a seat?"

The Honglu Temple is right next to the guesthouse, making it very convenient to get there.

Before leaving, Cheng Maoming specifically instructed his subordinates: "Keep a close eye on these people. We will question them later."

As soon as he arrived at the Honglu Temple, Qi Shuo said to the Honglu Temple Minister, "I would like to borrow the study of Minister Ouyang."

The Minister of Rites was stunned when he heard this, while Cheng Maoming was surprised and delighted: "Did the prince find any clues?"

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites looked at Cheng Maoming deeply.

He was certain that something was amiss with General Cheng today. Prince Jing's use of a study room was a clue? He must be desperate to find the missing maid, Yu Liu.

"I guess so." Qi Shuo nodded slightly.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites was stunned.

Although Prince Jing's answer was very cautious, it clearly meant there was a clue!

"Lord Ouyang?" Cheng Maoming called out, thinking that Lord Ouyang might be too old and didn't look very smart.

The Minister of Rites came back to his senses: "Oh, this way please."

Several people went to the study together, where there were pens, ink, paper and inkstone.

Qi Shuo asked politely, "Do you mind if I use it?"

"The prince can use it at will." The Minister of the Ministry of Rites said this with a feeling of emotion in his heart.

There are not many royal family members who are as humble and polite as Prince Jing.

Qi Shuo spread out the drawing paper, picked up the pen and started drawing.

He looked focused and wrote quickly, and soon the outline of a girl was sketched out.

In the study, besides the painter, there were only Lin Hao, Cheng Maoming, and the Minister of Rites. Their eyes never left the paper. It wasn't long before Lin Hao was the first to notice something was wrong: "Is this the missing maid Yu Liu?"

"Really?" Cheng Maoming pushed the Minister of the Ministry of Rites aside and looked at it more carefully.

The Minister of Rites turned his attention to Lin Hao: "This is——"

He had long been curious about the young man's identity.

Cheng Maoming secretly thought that something was wrong and was about to help cover it up when he heard Lin Hao say openly, "I am Miss Lin from the General's Mansion. I came with the prince to visit."

At that moment, the Minister of Rites' eyes widened. After a long moment, he uttered an "Oh" and looked at Qi Shuo in a daze. Qi Shuo was concentrating on painting and did not respond. He could not help but look at Cheng Maoming, only to see the unmoved General Cheng.

So the elderly Minister of the Ministry of Rites fell into a daze again.

"Why did the prince draw the maid Yu Liu again?" Cheng Maoming also noticed it and asked Qi Shuo in confusion.

"Wait a moment." Qi Shuo quickly finished drawing the maid Yu Liu, picked up the drawing paper and put it aside to dry, then spread out another piece of rice paper and started painting.

Cheng Maoming became more and more curious.

Still painting?

Lin Hao watched Qi Shuo write a few strokes, and an idea flashed through his mind: "Hu Da?"

"What Hu Da?" Cheng Maoming didn't react for a moment.

The Minister of Rites also looked bewildered: "Is the one you want to paint, Hu Da?"

Grain straw

Qi Shuo concentrated on painting and hummed softly.

Cheng Maoming and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites looked at each other, and saw confusion in each other's eyes.

"Why did you draw Hu Da?" Cheng Maoming didn't want to disturb Qi Shuo, so he just asked Lin Hao.

Lin Hao smiled slightly: "Grand Commander, you will understand once the prince finishes painting."

Cheng Maoming didn't get any answers and touched his nose in disappointment.

The study was quiet for a moment until Qi Shuo finally put down his pen.

Cheng Maoming and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites both stretched their necks and stared at the person in the scroll.

It was indeed Hu Da who had asked the question just now.

"Your Highness, do you think there's something wrong with this person?"

Qi Shuo took the portrait of Yu Liu's maid that he had just put aside and placed it next to Hu Da's. "Grand Commander, Ouyang Siqing, compare these two people. What do you find?"

"These two people—" Cheng Maoming rubbed his chin and looked at them. Suddenly, he paused and said uncertainly, "Their face shapes seem to be similar."

After receiving Qi Shuo's nod of approval, Cheng Maoming became excited: "Also, the distance between the eyebrows and eyes, the shape of the nose——"

"Is Hu Da the maid Yu Liu in disguise?" The Minister of the Ministry of Rites shook his beard excitedly.

The rest of Cheng Maoming's words were stuck in his throat, and he gave the Minister of the Ministry of Rites a look of disdain.

Why is this person rushing to answer?

Qi Shuo gently wiped the ink from his fingertips with a handkerchief and said calmly, "The two have similar facial features. The missing Yu Liu maid has the innate ability to disguise herself as Hu Da."

Cheng Maoming clapped his hands and said, "So, Hu Da and his disciples might be right. The second time Hu Da went out, he was actually Yu Liu's maid in disguise!"

He couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at Qi Shuo: "How did the prince notice this?"

Many things seem trivial once they are revealed, but finding the key when the fog is thick requires extraordinary sensitivity.

Qi Shuo and Lin Hao looked at each other.

The reason they thought of this so quickly was because of the fake Du Qing incident.

"I like drawing people, and I have a habit of observing a person's facial features. Plus, I just drew Yu Liu's maid, and I was quite impressed." Qi Shuo paused and mentioned the Yu Liu envoy. "When the Grand Commander suggested to the Yu Liu envoy that he draw the Yu Liu maid's portrait to help find someone, he showed no reluctance at all. That's when I had some vague suspicions."

Contrary to what he showed, Envoy Yu Liu was absolutely unwilling to let the maid be found, but he did not care at all about the appearance of Yu Liu's maid being known. One possibility was that the missing maid had changed her appearance, so searching for her based on her portrait would be a cover-up.

Cheng Maoming nodded involuntarily: "The prince is really considerate."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites also looked at Qi Shuo with a different look.

I thought Prince Jing was just a talented man who was good at painting, but I didn't expect him to be a talented person with extraordinary mind.

"Also," Lin Hao continued, "Emissary Yu Liu said that the three maids had a deep bond with the missing maid, but when they spoke to the prince, they showed only shyness and excitement, without any concern for their missing sisters. This doesn't make sense either."

The young man, who had been calm and composed all this time, explained solemnly, "I really didn't pay attention to that."

Lin Hao smiled.

Cheng Maoming looked at Qi Shuo with sympathy.

It’s just that you can’t bring your unmarried wife along for such a serious matter.

"Ahem. Then according to the speculation of the prince and Miss Lin Er, the one we are looking for is not the maid Yu Liu in this portrait, but Hu Da?" Cheng Maoming picked up Hu Da's portrait and helped Qi Shuo out.

"To be on the safe side, the Grand Commander can interrogate Hu Da and his disciples again without alerting the Yu Liu envoys. If they are sure that they are not lying, then that should be it."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to interrogate him quietly."

The Minister of Rites couldn't help but express his concern: "If that maid really disguised herself as Hu Da and left the guesthouse, she would have left the city right then and there, right?"